


One of the Million Reasons Why I Love You

by abrosuna



Category: Naruto
Genre: Domestic, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 08:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11528703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abrosuna/pseuds/abrosuna
Summary: «I never said it’s boring,» Kakashi immediately replied, as he raised his head again and leaned his chin on Iruka’s shoulder. «On the contrary, it’s captivating. I’d listen to you talk for hours.»





	One of the Million Reasons Why I Love You

Lazy evenings spent together like that were the best, in Kakashi’s opinion. Staying at home, cooking dinner, and then simply having Iruka close to him for the rest of the night, either with each of them minding his own business or doing something together, without the need to go out or do anything at all – just being together was fine enough. There were often long silences at times like those, but Kakashi didn’t mind, all the opposite; he thought silences were relaxing, and he also found them intimate, in a way: they showed that words weren’t essential to enjoy each other’s company. Kakashi liked how sincere and affectionate his connection with Iruka was, and the fact that staying together in silence didn’t in the least feel awkward was just one of the many things that confirmed it.

He was positive Iruka also felt the same way: not even once the teacher had given any signs of uneasiness – except maybe during the first months of dating, when he would worry about any little thing that, if overlooked, could threaten to become a problem for their relationship, and at first he was afraid that Kakashi’s silences meant he was getting bored, but the misunderstanding was soon solved. Now, whenever he saw that Kakashi had made himself comfortable and started snoozing or reading a book, he would just find something to keep himself occupied with, be it housework, lesson plans, or, if they were at Kakashi’s place and he didn’t have anything to do, simply placing himself near his lover and playing with his hair.

That evening they were at Iruka’s apartment; they’d made dinner together, meaning Kakashi did the most of it while at the same time keeping Iruka’s work under supervision, and then they’d headed to the bedroom to rest a little before actually going to sleep. Iruka’d taken out a rather thick book, but Kakashi wasn’t in the mood for reading even though he’d brought along one of his novels, so he’d just sat on the bed next to his lover, all huddled up against him and head leaning on his shoulder.

Lazily gazing at the pages, he tried to catch what the book was about. There were parts with lots of huge numbers, then names of people and places, then parts with fighting strategies described in great detail, all of it mixed with a dry narration of the occurrences. History, he thought, even though he had no clue as to what event those paragraphs were referring to. Did Iruka really have to memorise all those notions? No, something seemed off…

«How can you read so fast?» Kakashi asked out of the blue. «You’re turning the pages even before I’m done.» And they both knew how fast of a reader Kakashi was.

Iruka chuckled at that. «Oh, it’s just that I skip some paragraphs.»

Kakashi was a bit confused. «Why would you do that?»

«I do it if it’s something I already know about,» Iruka replied calmly, without taking his eyes off the page although he’d paused his reading. «I’m not reading this for my own leisure, you know, I’m studying. And when there’s tons and tons of books like this to study it may be useful to learn to distinguish between fundamental information, important information, and secondary information. In this case, it’s not essential for me to study something I already know, and skipping those parts helps me focus better on new information… other than finishing the book earlier.»

He let out a nervous giggle, and Kakashi smiled behind his mask. He found it endearing when Iruka spoke like that, all serious and extremely precise, only to end up adding some kind of lame joke and then be embarrassed by it himself. It was silly and adorable.

«I see,» Kakashi said. «Makes sense.»

A pleased puff of air left Iruka’s nose.

«I didn’t know you were reading too, though,» he said then, probably wondering why Kakashi would be interested in a big book for academy teachers.

«More or less. It’s boring, though.» After a pause, Kakashi realised that could’ve sounded offensive, because even though the book itself wasn’t a work of Iruka’s it was still related to his job, and he hurried to correct himself. «I mean, the writing is. It’s plain and repetitive, I don’t know how you manage not to fall asleep.»

Iruka laughed, although it didn’t sound much sincere. «It really is, isn’t it,» he agreed, but Kakashi didn’t find the tone of his voice convincing, and he didn’t like the idea of having upset him.

«I don’t remember learning all this stuff in the academy,» the jounin said, trying to distract his lover. «Do kids nowadays really have to remember so many notions? I kinda feel sorry for them.»

Iruka shook his head, a faint smile curling his lips. «No, no, don’t worry, we’re not this cruel. But you see, it is always best for a teacher to have a deeper knowledge of what they’re going to teach. The more we know, the better it is, of course. First of all, because knowledge is always good and useful in itself, and, secondly, because students could ask any kind of questions, and what worth is a teacher who knows nothing more than what they’ve prepared for the day?»

«Aaand I suppose you have to keep doing that even when you’re already a teacher,» Kakashi mused out loud.

The other nodded. «Maintaining up-to-date knowledge is very important. And to do that we can’t only rely on books, we also have to do our part.»

Now Kakashi was getting really curious. «As in?»

He noticed that Iruka’s smile had gotten rather pleased all of a sudden, and he was very delighted with it. Mission success.

«Take strategy, for example. Or how to be a good team leader, or how to deal with different situations during a mission. The basics are those every shinobi knows, to the point that when reproaching someone else pretty much anyone is able to talk like they’re quoting from a manual.»

There was a short pause where Iruka chuckled softly and Kakashi smiled as well. They both knew that Iruka was particularly good at that with basically any topic he knew enough about.

«However, simply reading from the textbook isn’t enough when you’re teaching it to students for the first time. The way you explain it is very important, and it can make a huge difference. Just to make an example, repeating the same concept more than once and using a different wording every time is very effective.»

Kakashi nodded. He’d never given much thought to it, but it was easy to understand, after all, almost obvious.

«It’s not just a matter of words, however, it’s also about the content. You know how practice is much more complicated than theory, right? Well, even in theory there are different difficulty levels, so to say. We said the basics are the same for everyone, but lessons aren’t simply about the basics, of course. What goes beyond that is our job. We study many different possibilities, come up with our own, elaborate all this material, and try to find the best way to form better shinobi.»

Kakashi was struck with awe. He knew that being an academy teacher was tough, and he’d never underestimated Iruka’s job just because he was a chuunin; dealing with kids was incredibly tiring, he knew that well, and the idea of having to work with a whole class almost every day starting from the morning – not to mention the shifts in the mission room – made him feel dizzy. He admired academy teachers, and Iruka in particular, of course, for being able to do something he would’ve never been capable of. However, coming to know in detail how much of a delicate job it was had filled him with renewed respect.

«That’s sure a lot of work,» he said after a pause. «You’re amazing.»

«It’s just the job of every teacher, it’s nothing special,» Iruka replied with modesty, but the blush on his cheeks and his shy smile showed clearly that he was happy for that little praise. «Probably I made it sound cooler than it actually is.»

«No, really.» Kakashi raised his head to look better at his lover, the slightly stretched  fabric of his mask making it obvious he was smiling. «I think that what you do is incredible. I wouldn’t be able to do it.»

Iruka laughed delightfully, finally turning towards him. «I’m sure you would be able to do it better than I do.»

«Well, you may be right, but then I’d never have the strength to teach those brats all day. Or do all that writing you’re always doing. You know how bad I am at writing.»

«All right, all right.» Iruka was trying to stop his laughter, but it only resulted in him giggling even more. Kakashi enjoyed playing dumb to make him laugh like that way too much.

«Let’s just both do our best in what we have to do, ok?» the chuunin then said, his sweet smile filling Kakashi’s heart with affection.

«Yeah.»

They stayed like that for a few seconds, exchanging fond gazes and a silent “I love you”, until Iruka decided to lean forwards and press a kiss on Kakashi’s mouth through his mask. The other closed his eyes, both content and secretly hoping for some more snuggles. Iruka went soon back to his book, though, and Kakashi quietly placed his head on his lover’s shoulder again.

«I can’t believe you have to read this boring stuff and then work to make it interesting for the students,» he said after a while. Even avoiding the parts that had too many technical details, he could barely follow what was going on in the narration. The author may have been a good historian, but they were far from being a good writer.

The chuunin shook his head with a resigned sigh. «Sorry to disappoint you, but to be honest I don’t really succeed in the second part.»

«I don’t believe you,» Kakashi replied. «I’m sure that if I heard it from you this would be a lot more interesting.»

Iruka chuckled weakly. «Is that so.»

Kakashi made an affirmative hum. «I think I would’ve loved to have you as my academy teacher.»

«How come? You’ve never seen one of my classes,» Iruka pointed out.

When it came to his relationship with his student, Iruka was always a bit insecure. He worked so hard to be a good teacher that he didn’t realise he already was probably one of the best the academy had, if not the best at all. It was no secret that he cared a lot about his job and, to be more precise, about his students, and resulting too dull to them was one of his biggest worries.

«I can tell from the way you usually speak,» Kakashi said, shifting a bit to make himself more comfortable. «Your speech is very clear and organised, as if you were reading from a book. Besides, your voice is calm and soothing and it has a pleasant sound, which is a great quality, in my opinion. It’s always easier to listen when the one who’s talking has a beautiful voice.»

He eyed at Iruka, sure to find him blushing, and he wasn’t mistaken. He grinned with satisfaction, before continuing.

«You also know how to catch the listener’s attention by changing the tone of your voice when necessary. And you make those lame jokes that only a child could find funny.»

They both laughed at that, and Kakashi took the chance to scoot a little closer to his lover, as if they weren’t already close enough.

«I didn’t realise I’m so boring all the time…» commented Iruka, hiding his disheartenment behind a smile, but failing to keep it from showing in his voice.

«I never said it’s boring,» Kakashi immediately replied, as he raised his head again and leaned his chin on Iruka’s shoulder. «On the contrary, it’s captivating. I’d listen to you talk for hours.»

Iruka’s smile really had to be one of the most beautiful views in the world, Kakashi thought, if he was still stunned by it like the first time he’d seen it. It was… so soft and full of warmth, that it made him instantly feel at peace. When it was accompanied by cheeks coloured with embarrassment, then, Kakashi felt like he could melt in a puddle of adoration.

«Well, I… I’m flattered, thank you,» Iruka said, gaze lowered and the point of his index finger scratching his cheek.

While listening, Kakashi reached out to Iruka’s face and caressed it lightly, catching the other’s fingers between his own in the process.

«I think you’re a little biased, though…» the chuunin added, still not fully convinced.

«I’m not biased!» Kakashi objected right away. «Well, maybe a little – but I’ve always thought this of you, even before we got to, uh, better know each other.» 

«Oh.» A smile bloomed again on Iruka’s lips, and Kakashi leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek, even though what he managed was more of a nuzzling his nose against soft skin.

«Thank you, Kakashi, I… I really appreciate this,» said Iruka, turning his head a little to let their noses and foreheads brush. «Knowing that you have this high esteem of me makes me happy.»

 _Of course I have a high esteem of you, silly,_ Kakashi thought, a bit amused by his lover’s modesty.

«But even so, my students do find my lessons boring, so there’s really no use after all...»

Kakashi sighed. «Iruka.»

The other looked at him, with a face like that of a child who was expecting a scolding but at the same time hoped to be wrong and that no real reprimand was going to come. Kakashi didn’t laugh only because he was used to it, but he always found very funny how a teacher who was capable of running around the academy to catch some troublesome students could make that kind of expression.

«They’re kids. Of course they think school is boring, they just want to go outside and play. It’s not you.»

Iruka bit his lips, but he couldn’t stop himself from smiling, visibly relieved.

«I guess you’re right…» he murmured, closing his eyes with a sigh.

Kakashi pulled down his mask and kissed him softly on the lips, glad to have finally reassured his dear chuunin.

«Well,» said Iruka after a while, laughing a little, «it’s a good thing I wasn’t your academy teacher, after all.»

«Fair point,» the other had to agree. «Had you been, I couldn’t be doing this now.»

They kissed again, joining smiling lips; Kakashi’s hand innocently slid down until it reached Iruka’s hip and then it slipped under his shirt to caress his side, feeling warm skin under his fingers.

«But sometimes I still wish I could listen to one of your lessons,» the jounin continued, a few moments after they’d separated. «I’d really love that.»

«Why are you so interested in my job?» Iruka seemed genuinely amused. «You’re a jounin, you should’ve had enough of academy classes.»

«I told you, I like the way you talk,» replied Kakashi, eyes lovingly fixed on his lover’s scar as he leaned closer to let the tips of their noses touch.

«Well, if you insist so much I guess I could teach you something.»

«That sounded dirty, sensei.»

Iruka pulled away at once, face turning red all of a sudden. «That’s—! I didn’t mean it like that!»

Kakashi was laughing. Embarrassing Iruka and making him get all flustered when he was least expecting it was one of his favourite hobbies.

«It’s a joke, it’s a joke,» he apologised, although he was still snickering.

Iruka curled his lips in a sort of pout, eyebrows knit with discontent, but it didn’t last longer than a couple of seconds; grumbling something like “why are you always like this” he returned to his original position, and Kakashi happily went back to snuggling with him.

«Really, though,» the jounin said, before Iruka could turn his attention to his book again, «If you ever want to talk about school stuff I’ll gladly listen.»

The other shook his head, a smile on his face. «I still don’t get what you mean. You already know everything I have to do with, and there’s a limit to how long the…» he hesitated for a second, suddenly shy from remembering what his lover had said moments before, «um, the sound of my voice can keep you from falling asleep if I’m talking about the types of plants that can be found in our land.»

«There’s plenty of things you know that I don’t,» Kakashi pointed out, giving a nod to the book in front of them. «Surprise me. Seduce me with your knowledge.»

Iruka let out a big, merry laugh, and he abandoned the volume on his knees to grab Kakashi’s face with both hands.

«I’ll see what I can do, then» he said, kissing him.

Kakashi smiled, and as Iruka picked up the volume and finally resumed his reading the jounin searched once more for a comfortable position, one arm draped over his favourite academy teacher’s waist and head resting close to his heart.

His eyelids were slowly becoming heavier, until he decided to give up and closed his eyes. He was confident that Iruka would’ve shaken him and helped him slide under the covers if he’d fallen asleep now, so there was no problem. Coming to think about it, he liked how that was a sentence with Iruka’s name in it and “no problem” as a consequence. He hoped he could make more and more sentences like that as time went by. He hoped he could continue making them for the rest of his days, actually, but it was too early to wish for something like that out loud.

He felt fingers entangling into his hair and gently scratching the skin below, and in an instant every single thought disappeared from his mind, leaving only a blissful sense of beatitude. He let out a low and raspy moan of gratitude, the corners of his mouth curling upwards, and he heard a soft chuckle.

Man, the academy’s students didn’t know what they were missing, having Iruka as their teacher and not having the opportunity to date him, Kakashi vaguely thought as his consciousness faded and he dozed off by his loved one’s side.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuse for this. I’m a nerd and I think teachers are amazing for what they do and I think Iruka is amazing and I’m 100% sure Kakashi thinks so too. He is very proud of his baby.  
> Also cuddles because it’s unlikely that I’ll ever write a fic without some fluff.  
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


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